{"id":450992,"date":"2024-09-18T08:51:42","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T12:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=450992"},"modified":"2024-09-17T19:40:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T23:40:31","slug":"best-of-the-st-louis-blues-by-sweater-number-the-final-nine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/09\/18\/best-of-the-st-louis-blues-by-sweater-number-the-final-nine\/","title":{"rendered":"Best of the St. Louis Blues by Sweater Number: The Final Nine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the final installment of our “Best of the St. Louis Blues by Sweater Number<\/a>” series. It has been a joy this summer analyzing players, learning new things, and then getting the opportunity to share it with you. To all of you who joined for the ride, thank you. We wrap up the series by looking at the best St. Louis Blue<\/a> to wear numbers 81-99.<\/p>\n

Different Format<\/h3>\n

Throughout this series, we have looked at each sweater number in increments of ten. However, there are only nine jersey numbers that have been worn by Blues between 81 and 99. As such, it made sense to merge the final two blocks.<\/p>\n

Best St. Louis Blues by Sweater Number: The Final Nine<\/h3>\n

#81 James Neal<\/a> (Forward)<\/h4>\n

The former 40-goal scorer ended his career<\/a> with the Blues in the 2021-22 season. Neal played in 19 games and scored two goals. At the very least, Neal provided an additional veteran presence in the Blues locker room.<\/p>\n

#82 Zach Sanford<\/a> (Forward)<\/h4>\n

Sanford only wore the number 82 his first season with the Blues. Sanford had an interesting career with the Blues. He struggled defensively, but had back-to-back seasons with at least ten goals. This includes a memorable game in 2020 when Sanford scored four goals. The Massachusetts native scored two career playoff goals as a member of the Blues. This includes the Blues final goal of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the Stanley Cup Final, Sanford’s biggest moments for the Blues came in that series. Sanford entered the lineup for Game 3 and remained in the lineup for the remainder of the series. Sanford recorded a point in four of the five games he played in, including his Game 7 goal.<\/p>\n